Following on from my Hummingbird Play Raw from last summer, I thought I’d share this image that I took last week.
I photographed this gal in Annandale, Virginia. It’s highly unusual for a couple of reasons. First, hummers migrate to South Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America for the winter. Second, this is a Rufous Hummingbird which is found west of the Rockies in North America. Finding this breed in Virginia is an exceptionally rare find at any time of the year. The folks at the park are maintaining feeders and a heat lamp to help her along. She’s endured subfreezing temperatures and snow… so far, so good
I’ve had a lot of fun playing with different modules on this pic, and the new Color Calibration module has been very helpful with tuning white balance and controlling out-of-gamut issues with the feeder. Still, getting WB right was a struggle.
Excellent shot. While I am poor at identifying small animals, I have noticed that, with each passing winter, more and more creatures are out and about more often in (sub)freezing temperatures. It is as if they don’t know how to or want to migrate or hibernate anymore.
Thanks. I’ve noticed that, too. This year we’ve had a lot of rare bird sightings here in Northern Virginia. Plus I’ve noticed that the Robin, which usually clear the region by November and are the first harbinger of spring when they return in March have remained here in droves right now. My guess is that they’re migrants from up the coast who have decided to settle here for the winter.
Such a pretty bird! My edit is fairly similar to yours, except a little less saturated and a slightly different crop. Also cheers from Fairfax Virginia!
Well, howdy neighbor! You can find the hummer at Green Spring Park in Annandale, if you’re interested. She comes by every 20 minutes or so when the temperature is reasonable
